mechanism
/ˈmɛk.ə.nɪz.əm/ noun C1- Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.
- Any combination of cams, gears, links, belts, chains and logical mechanical elements.
- A group of entities, such as objects, that interact together.
- A mental, physical, or chemical process.
- Any process of, or system designed to manage useful energy conversion.
- The theory that all natural phenomena can be explained by physical causes.
Plural mechanisms
From the library
Holmes had picked up the powerful air-gun from the floor, and was examining its mechanism.
The count soon mastered the mechanism, the gate opened, and he then found himself in a little garden, about twenty feet long by twelve wide, bounded on one side by part of the hedge, which contained the ingenious contrivance we have called a gate, and on the other by the old tower, covered with ivy and studded with wall-flowers.
This temporary escape mechanism provides a fleeting sense of accomplishment, yet it ultimately intensifies the underlying stress.
Researchers discovered that when individuals feel stripped of their privacy, they tend to withdraw socially as a defensive coping mechanism.
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